It Was Only a Nightmare
by H. Morgan
Summary: McGee's in trouble, Gibbs tries to save him. McGibbs, major character death. Sort of.
1. Chapter 1

**Summary: **McGee's in trouble, Gibbs tries to save him.**  
****Categories:** AU, Established McGibbs. Hurt/comfort, family, friendship.  
**Warnings:** Major character death.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own _NCIS_ or its characters. No money is made, only fun.  
**Notes:** There will be 3 chapters, mostly already completed. This was actually a little fun to write and I guess that sounds a little mean considering the warning on this story.

* * *

The cars came to a screeching halt out front of the two story farm house. The first car held the MCRT of NCIS minus their youngest member while the two other cars were local police officers. As the cars were all exited of its occupants, everyone pulled their guns and headed for the house.

"Ziva, take two officers with you and check the barn and outhouses. The rest of you go around back."

Everyone nodded and took off for their assigned positions as Tony followed Gibbs up the front porch. Checking the door to find it unlocked, they entered the house not waiting for the officers to reach the back of the house. They would have waited, but they were after a murderer. A murderer who was currently in the company of one Timothy McGee.

Jacob Wiley was only seventeen years old and until twenty minutes ago was believed to just be the son of Marine Malcolm Wiley and his wife Andrea. Malcolm had been found dead three days ago, along with Marine Hannah Blake. They had been found by Hannah's neighbor, both stabbed to death.

The MCRT had been assigned the case and within hours of identifying the deceased they had learned that Wiley and Blake were having an affair and Andrea Wiley had filed for divorced only two days before their deaths. As usual, Tony had believed it to have been the wife until Tim had been able to conclude that Andrea Wiley was out of town the day her husband and his mistress were murdered and there were no weird or odd transactions in her back account of any offshore accounts in her name or otherwise associated with her.

It had taken them three days to put all the pieces of the puzzle together and everything pointed towards another man. Hannah Blake's ex-boyfriend Chad Langley had been threatening the young woman and known about the affair, having been stalking Blake and sending the evidence to Andrea Wiley.

It had been learned after the murder weapon was founded in Langley's car but did not possess his fingerprints or DNA that he was not the killer and again the MCRT were back at square one. Jacob had come in on the morning of the third day, home from college in California and talked about last seeing his father weeks ago and nothing seemed different about him. After some digging on Gibbs' prompting, Tim and Abby had learned that Jacob was not really Wiley's son but his nephew.

Jacob's real father was Malcolm's older brother Jonathan, who had died when Jacob was only three months old.

More digging by the group uncovered that Malcolm had hired Chad Langley to kill Jonathan because he loved Andrea and wanted her for himself. With Jonathan out of the picture, he was able to get the girl and a son. Andrea had never told Jacob that Malcolm was not really his father but his uncle. It had not been until an hour ago, just after Tim McGee had offered to drive Jacob to his mother's home that the rest of the team had connected the dots with something Jacob had told them the day before.

Jacob Wiley had learned that Malcolm was not truly his father and when he showed up to confront the old man, he discovered his parents' divorce and the pictures Langley had sent to his mother about Malcolm and Hannah Blake. Going looking for Malcolm to talk, he found the other man with Miss Blake. Jacob had snapped and killed them before playing it off that he had just gotten into town days after the murders.

As they silently entered the house, Gibbs motioned Tony towards the stairs leading to the second floor. Nodding, Tony bolted up the steps with his gun at the ready while Gibbs headed down the hall towards the kitchen. Upon reaching the doorway into the kitchen, the team leader peered around the corner to find his agent and Jacob Wiley watching and waiting for him.

Stepping into the kitchen with his gun raised towards Jacob, Gibbs split his attention between the teenager, his agent and the knife currently being held against his youngest agent's throat. He could see McGee's gun sitting on the counter behind them. Turning his attention to McGee, he could tell right away that the younger man was scared but also determined to be strong.

"McGee."

"Boss." Tim grit out between clenched teeth as the blade of the knife dug into his throat just a little more.

Gibbs could see a droplet of blood sink down the side of McGee's throat as the blade cut him slightly. The older agent tightened his grip on his gun. He knew there wasn't much he could do at the moment and his top priority was getting McGee out of this current situation.

_Alive_.

"You don't want to do this, Jacob."

A hollow laugh bubbled out of the teenager. "What would you know. If you're here you've already figured out that I killed that bastard and the woman he was cheating on my mom with."

Gibbs nodded, "Just let him go, Jacob."

"No." Jacob hissed, again pressing the blade of the knife into McGee's throat. "He's my ticket outta here."

"You're not walking out of here Jacob, the place is surrounded."

Gibbs could feel more then see or hear DiNozzo behind him in the shadows, bidding his time. He knew if he didn't get McGee out of this situation soon, something really bad was going to happen. It was already starting when more blood rolled down McGee's neck and soaked into the young agent's shirt collar. As he was trying to think of a good way to get the younger man out of this alive, he was brought back to reality with Jacob's next words.

"Then I'm not leaving alone."

Before anyone could react, before Gibbs could pull the trigger, Jacob slide the knife along Tim's throat. Deep red blood gushed from the wound as Tim's eyes widened and he gasped. Jacob then shoved McGee towards Gibbs, who only had enough time to react by dropping his gun and catching the younger man. A gunshot rang out just a few second before Tony rushed passed them and out the door after Jacob.

Gibbs' only priority at the moment was the man in his arms. Cradling the younger man, he gentle lowered them both to the ground, laying Tim down on his back and clutched at his throat, trying to stop the flow of blood that had already soaked the front of McGee's and Gibbs' shirts.

"No, no, no, no." Gibbs kept chanting under his breath.

He could sense that Tim was trying to talk to him, his eyes frantic.

"Shh, Tim, don't talk. Just relax." Gibbs reached into his pants pocket and pulled out his cell phone, quickly dialing 9-1-1.

Once he gave the operator all the information needed and the address, he tossed the phone onto the floor, it landing next to his fallen gun. Turning his attention back to Tim, he noticed the younger man's eyes were starting to droop closed. Cursing under his breath, he put more pressure over the wound, hoping to keep McGee awake and to still stop the bleeding.

"McGee, stay with me. You don't have permission to die, do you hear me?"

Though he told Tim not to speak and the younger man seemed to be listening to him, he felt a slight tremor he decided to believe was a nod of Tim's head to comply with Gibbs' demand. Satisfied that Tim had heard and understood the demand, Gibbs started thinking about trying to use something else to help stop the blood flow.

"Boss?"

The wavering voice of Tony penetrated through the fog Gibbs seemed to be trapped in and the team leader looked up to see Tony standing a few paces away, looking down at McGee. At all the blood.

"Boss, is he?"

"He's still alive, DiNozzo." Gibbs rushed, "But I can't get the bleeding to stop."

Tony stepped forward and knelt on the other side of McGee, picking up the younger man's hand into his own. Tim's eyes opened and he looked towards the Senior Field Agent, giving him a strand and bloody smile.

"Hey, Probie. You're going to be fine." Tony's voice cracked but they ignored it in favor of concentrating on Tim.

Gibbs watched his two agents as he again pressed harder onto the wound to help stop the flow of blood still staining the floor around them. It was then the McGee's eyes closed and his chest stopped moving.

"McGee? Tim?" Gibbs used his free hand to check for a pulse, "Damn it, Tim. Don't leave us, don't leave me."

Gibbs could feel the tears burning in his eyes but he refused to allow them to fall. He had to be the strong one for his agents, for his family. Tony and Ziva and Abby were losing a friend, a brother. But he was losing so much more. He was losing his one last change at love.

"Gibbs."

He ignored Tony calling for him as he continued talking to McGee and trying to stop the bleeding, even if the younger man was already gone.

"Gibbs."

This couldn't be the end. This wasn't how it was suppose to end. Tim wasn't suppose to die before him. None of them were.

"Gibbs..."


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary: **McGee's in trouble, Gibbs tries to save him.**  
****Categories:** AU, Established McGibbs. Hurt/comfort, family, friendship.  
**Warnings:** Major character death.  
**Disclaimer:** I do not own _NCIS_ or its characters. No money is made, only fun.  
**Notes:** Thanks for the reviews. Sorry for the long wait. This chapter was suppose to be like chapter one in a "character death" sort of way, but I just couldn't get it to work with me. So instead I have moved chapter three in its place and finished it. I might write something else for this verse later, but not sure about that yet.

* * *

Gibbs woke with a gasp, sitting up in bed. His eyes were frantic and his body soaked with a cold sweat. Working on calming his racing heart, he looked around the darkened room, realizing he was alone at the moment. Taking a deep breath in hopes of calming himself down, he looked towards the bathroom door. It was closed but he could see the light under the door and when he took a moment to listen, he could hear the shower running. A little light filtered through the closed curtains on the window and when he glanced at the clock, it was already a little after twelve in the afternoon. Deciding he needed reassurance after that horrible nightmare, Gibbs threw the covers off his legs and clambered to his feet.

He was a little unsteady and had to stand still for a minute before making his way around the bed and to the bathroom door. Opening the door, he peered inside and smiled as the silhouette of his husband in the shower. Taking another deep breath, he stepped into the warmth of the bathroom and silently closed the door behind him before stripping off his boxers and stepping into the shower behind his husband. He then wrapped his arms around the other man's waist and nuzzled his nose into the back of Tim's neck.

"Jethro."

"How long have you been awake?"

"A couple of hours. Been downstairs writing."

Jethro hummed as he kissed the nape of Tim's neck, causing the younger man to moan and lean back into him. Smiling, Jethro trailed a line of closed mouthed kisses across Tim's shoulders and neck.

"Jethro." Tim groaned, "Everyone is going to be here soon for the barbecue."

"They can wait downstairs."

Tim chuckled as he turned in Jethro's arms, wrapping his own around Jethro's neck. The older man knew that as soon as Tim's saw his face, saw his eyes, he would know Jethro had had another nightmare. They had been a frequent thing in his life for the first three months after Tim had been attacked. Even after Tim had been released from the hospital after five weeks. Jethro watched Tim watch him and the frown on his husband's lips, he knew the other man had figured it out.

"The nightmares are back."

It wasn't a question.

Jethro nodded as his eyes fell to Tim's throat. The thin white line across the younger man's throat was staring right back at him. Though it was starting to fade now and was mostly unnoticeable to everyone else, Jethro could always see the scar. It was burned into his memory. It had been four months since Tim had almost been killed by Jacob Wiley. Four months since Jethro watched as his then lover almost bled to death in his arms as he tried to stop the bleeding. Tim had been in the hospital for five weeks, three of them he had spent in a coma.

It had been the longest two months of Jethro's life, waiting for Tim to recover. As soon as Tim had been released from the hospital, Jethro had requested time off work to stay at home with him. Within days they had left town and when they returned two weeks later, they were married. Or as married as they could be to each other. They had had a nice get together with their friends and family after their return to celebrate. Jethro had returned back to work shortly after but Tim was still on leave. At least, until this final weekend was over.

"Jethro?"

Blue eyes connected with green and Jethro realized he had zoned out. The water in the shower was now running cold and Jethro involuntarily shivered.

"Come on, lets get out and dried off." Tim turned the water of and lightly pressed on Jethro's shoulder.

The older man turned to get out of the shower, Tim following right behind him. They silently dried off before heading back into the bedroom. Jethro had his arms wrapped around Tim's waist once again and slowly pulled the younger man with him onto the bed. They got comfortable with Tim settled between Jethro's legs. Tim looked down at him and Jethro knew right away they were about to have a little talk.

"What was the nightmare this time? At the house or the hospital?"

Jethro sighed as his fingers lightly traced over the scar across Tim's throat.

"The house." He whispered.

The nightmares had been frequent, just about every night and in turn Jethro had had troubles sleeping most nights, even after he knew Tim was going to make a full recovery. There had always been two different nightmares that plagued him; one back at the house as he watched Tim bleed out in his arms and the other when Tim had been in the hospital, never waking from the coma and slowly slipping away from him. It had taken Tim getting angry enough at him for not talking about it and an argue to break out for Jethro to finally tell him. It had been that that caused Jethro to talk with someone about it. It only lasted two sessions, but it had seemed to help. The nightmares had stopped for the most part. He still had them from time to time for a while but then they had stopped completely a month ago. He hated that they were back now.

"Everything is fine, Jethro. I'm okay. I'm alive and right here." Tim whispered into Jethro's ear.

Jethro closed his eyes and relaxed as Tim started kissing down his body. Along the way Tim murmured things like _I'm still here, __I'm alive_ and _I love you_. Just as he was getting to Jethro's belly button, they could hear the tell tale sounds of their teammates entering the house. Jethro groaned and Tim laughed as he sat back on his hunches and looked down at his older husband.

"I told you they would be here soon." Tim was still chuckling.

Turning his head towards the clock on the nightstand, Jethro saw that it was just a quarter after one in the afternoon. He mumbled something that had Tim laughing again as he climbed off Jethro and then the bed, heading for the dresser. He started tossing clothes at his husband and quickly getting dressed as he knew as soon as Tony and Abby searched the downstairs and basement for the duo, they would be heading upstairs. By the time Tim had finished dressed in jeans and a shirt that said _MIT_ across the front, he turned to find Jethro was still stark naked, laying on the bed with his eyes closed again._  
_

Walking over to the side of the bed, Tim leaned in to kiss his husband and yelped when Jethro grabbed him, rolling them over until Tim was pinned under the older man. Tim laughed but wrapped his arms around Jethro's neck and kissed him.

"They're going to come up here looking for us any minute, Jethro." Tim's laughing quickly turned to moans as Jethro started nibbling on his collarbone and pressed their groins together.

"They'll be getting quiet the show then." Jethro mumbled against his skin.

"Jethro..." Tim tried again as his husband unbuttoned his jeans.

Jethro growled as he moved down Tim's body, tugging at the younger man's jeans. Just as Tim was about to lift his hips to help, there was a noise in the hallway and they both froze.

"Boss? Probie?"

Jethro collapsed onto Tim, resting his cheek on Tim's clothed stomach when suddenly the doorknob rattled and the door was cracked open.

"Don't you dare open the door, Tony!" Tim yelled.

The door slammed shut again. They could hear a muffled _Sorry_ from Tony while there was some giggling they knew was from Abby as they had heard her boots clomping up the stairs with Tony just moments ago.

"Okay, off." Tim pushed at Jethro's shoulder. "You need to get dressed."

Rolling off his husband, Jethro grabbed the clothes Tim had tossed at him minutes ago and headed for the bathroom, closing the door behind him. Tim huffed and headed for the bedroom door as he buttoned his jeans back up. Opening the door, he found Tony and Abby standing there. Tony was leaning against the wall with his hands in his pockets and staring at the ground while Abby's eyes were sparkling and she was still giggling.

"Downstairs, now." Tim mumbled as he walked passed them. "Gibbs will be down shortly."

Abby caught up with him and linked their arms together as they headed downstairs, Tony right behind them. It was only moments later while they were in the kitchen with Ziva, who was making up a salad that Jethro finally joined them. He was also dressed in jeans and a tee shirt that said _Marines_ across the front. As Jethro was getting the grill ready, Ducky and Jimmy showed up, as did Sarah and her boyfriend Michael. An hour later they were all sitting around outside eating and having a good time.


End file.
